1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hinge assemblies, and particularly to a hinge assembly for a foldable electronic device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
With the development of the technologies of wireless communication and information processing, foldable electronic devices such as mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) are now in widespread use. These foldable electronic devices enable consumers to enjoy the convenience of high technology services almost anytime and anywhere. Foldable mobile telephones are particularly favored by consumers for its comprehensive useful features.
Conventionally, a hinge assembly for a foldable portable device includes two barrel portions, which are provided respectively on a main body case and on a flip case of the foldable portable device. A central hinge pin movably fixes the barrel portions together. Thus, the flip case is rotatably connected to the main body case by the hinge assembly.
With the conventional hinge assembly described above, two hands are generally needed to rotatingly open the flip case up from the main body case. One hand is used to hold the main body case, while the other hand rotates the flip case up. This can be inconvenient for a user who is busy doing other things with his/her hands at the same time.
An automatic hinge assembly to solve the above problem is known in the art. The automatic hinge assembly usually includes a motor to drive a cam to rotate relative to a cam follower, thereby to open a flip case relative to a main body case of a foldable portable device. However, such automatic hinge assembly is complicated.
Therefore, a new hinge assembly for a foldable electronic device is desired in order to overcome the above-described shortcoming.